


After Words

by Mere_Vanilla



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, They/Them/Their pronouns, What-If, agender Batter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 23:06:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5762425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mere_Vanilla/pseuds/Mere_Vanilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The switch is now on 'OFF', and the world fades.</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Or maybe the switch is on 'ON', and the world fades in a different way.</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Regardless, the music plays, and--</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A possible glimpse at what the characters might do, once the game is over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After Words

\------------

_The switch is now on 'OFF', and the world fades.  
_

_Or maybe the switch is on 'ON', and the world fades in a different way._  


_Regardless, the music plays, and--_  


“Pablo?” A voice comes out from the credits music.  


“Yes, Batter?” The cat answers after a moment. Pablo begins grooming himself, licking the inner side of his paw and rubbing it over the outside of his ear.  


“The player... I mean...” Batter fumbles over their own words, now that there's no script from which to read and recite.  


“Yes, yes, they called you a “tool”, and many other things that I ought not say,” Pablo says. “This is, after all, a... What is it again, Zacharie?” Pablo calls, over Batter's shoulder.  


“'A nice game for cute children'!” Zacharie's voice echoes down the hall, and both Pablo and Batter hear Sugar's laughing.  


“With a scary duckie! Can't forget that!” Sugar calls, laughing again. Batter blows a raspberry in the direction of the two.  


“But, the player,” Batter says, more forcefully this time, before Zacharie, now right by The Batter and The Judge, lays a hand on Batter's shoulder.  


“The player,” Zacharie interjects, “will deal with their feelings. Probably by writing their own stories, or perhaps, making different incarnations of us in their own game.”  


“Don't _worry_ so much,” Sugar chimes in, her silent steps making Batter flinch when she surprises them, coming up on their other side. “Dearest Duckie, they'll be _fine_. We'll all be fine. Right, Pabs?” The woman scoops the cat up into her arms, holding his back feet up with one hand, while her other supports his front paws.  


“Sweet as always, _madamoiselle_ Sugar,” Pablo says, leaning into Sugar's gentle pets and ear rubs. Pablo's purring soon fills the small circle made up of The Batter, Zacharie, Sugar, and the cat himself.  


A second purr, slightly smaller in sound, comes from the same hallway behind everyone.  


“Pa... Pablo?” A small, trilling purr follows the words.  


“Valerie! Good to see you!” Pablo wiggles a bit in Sugar's arms, before facing her. “Pardon me, but would you mind setting me down once again? I absolutely must visit with my sibling.”  


“Of course, Pablo,” Sugar bends down, letting the cat out of her embrace once she's sure he'll be safe to leave it. Brushing short, white strands of fur away from her jacket and arms, Sugar turns back to the small group.  


“Brother! Brother, I've missed you!” Pablo and Valerie touch noses. Pablo then smears the side of his face against Valerie's, and Valerie returns the gesture.  


Batter is quiet, watching the cats interact, while Sugar and Zacharie talk in low voices.  


“Excuse me, is this the room we're supposed to meet in?”  


“Yes, Japhet!” Valerie meows, and rests next to Pablo.  


“Oh, thank goodness.” Japhet, medium-sized, walks into the room, followed by Dedan and Enoch.  


“Great work, everybody,” Enoch rumbles, _hmm-hmm_ ing to clear his throat.  


“Yes, I'm sure the player enjoyed their experience,” Zacharie says to the businessman. “And I'm sure we all did our best.” Zacharie laughs.  


“Batter didn't have to hit so hard,” Dedan mumbles, pinching the area between his eyes. “All right, you lot have been huddling around long enough, come on in!” Dedan yells down the hallway. As everyone else watches, several of the Elsen come spilling out of the hall, funneling into the room. Some are struggling to pull off the prosthetics and costumes of the burnt forms, while others are dressed as Secretaries or large apes. Soon, they are all in the room, save for the small, reedy voice echoing in the hallway.  


“So—sorry!” the Elsen yells, as they enter. “I had to leave a prop back there; the head piece is too big to fit through!” They laugh, and it's like ice being rolled in a glass.  


Dedan walks over to the Elsen. “You did what you can,” Dedan says, gruffly. “You did your job.”  


“Th—thank you, Sir!” the Elsen squeaks. “P—permission t—to join the others... Sir...?”  


Dedan nods, once, and dismisses the worker before returning to the other guardians. However, Enoch is chatting with Sugar and Zacharie, while Japhet speaks with Valerie. Dedan hadn't noticed before, but now he sees that Japhet is wearing a hat shaped like the top of a cat's head. Japhet lowers his face down to Valerie, minding the length of his beak, and asks Valerie to remove the hat. Valerie obliges, taking away the cap with his mouth. Dropping it next to himself, Valerie continues talking with Japhet.  


Dedan chooses to speak with the other cat. Over the wheezing chatter of the Elsen, Dedan strikes up a conversation with Pablo.  


Batter, meanwhile, is looking up, to where they would consider the player to be. Is the player upset with them? Are they upset with their own role in the game? Would they—  


“Isn't that right, Duckie?”  


Batter snaps out of their thoughts, jerking their head to look at Sugar, who's walking toward them, Zacharie in tow, as Enoch joins the talk with Pablo and Dedan.  


“...Pardon?” Batter asks, squeezing the narrowed end of their bat before placing it on the floor of the room.  


“I said,” Sugar snorts, “that we'll all go back to the hard drive and, I dunno, have a party! Or something.” At this, she takes Batter's empty hands and holds them in her own, giving them a gentle press with hers. Sugar begins an impromptu box step with Batter, who looks confused but willing.  


Sugar spins The Batter once, laughing as the black hat is knocked from Batter's head and goes flying to the ground. Once the world stops twirling, The Batter looks up, and sees a white dress and gray skin.  


“Is this what you're looking for, Batter?” Vader Eloha asks, picking it up and brushing away non-existent dust.  


“Ah, y-yes,” Batter answers, and The Queen's face opens into a smile. She returns the cap to Batter, and they put it back on, tugging the bill down a bit.  


“Batter, look,” Vader Eloha says, pulling a section of her skirt inward and to the front. Behind that is Hugo, peering from around The Queen.  


The Batter squats down, their eyes level with Hugo's small face.  


“Hello, Hugo,” Batter says.  


“...Hullo,” Hugo answers. “Is the play done, yet?” Hugo stuffs the thumb of the hand not clinging onto Vader Eloha's dress into his mouth. Batter nods.  


“Hugo,” The Queen says, gently. Hugo stares up at her. “Show Batter what you showed me, please.”  


Hugo's thumb pops out of his mouth. “Okay.” Hugo lets go of Vader Eloha's dress, and takes a small, deliberate step towards The Batter. The Batter's eyes widen, more so when Hugo manages the small distance between The Queen and The Batter. The small frown on Batter's face begins to soften.  


Around the three, other groups are starting to leave. Zacharie, along with Sugar and Dedan, take turns helping the Elsen shuffle out of the room. Japhet and Valerie help them all to make sure they have their props before leaving.  


“Hugo,” Batter says. Their tone is soft, because they are still kneeling down. Frightening the small child is the last thing Batter wants. Hugo looks at Batter, eyes large and questioning. “You... you should be very... very proud of yourself,” Batter says.  


Hugo tilts his head to one side. “'Kay,” he says, and very carefully toddles back to Vader Eloha. As Eloha picks up Hugo, Batter arches their neck, looking over The Queen's shoulder.  


“We should get going,” they say, as they watch Enoch return to the hallway, Elsen pattering after. Only Zacharie, Sugar, and Pablo remain, waiting for the other three.  


“Valerie took off with Japhet,” Pablo says. “We ought to do likewise.”  


Batter nods, and takes hold of Vader Eloha's remaining free hand, while Pablo clambers up into Zacharie's arms. “ _Après vous_ , my good lady,” Zacharie says to Sugar, who giggles and skips to the hallway.  


“We'll have a party, or something, right?” Sugar asks, and The Queen _mm-hm_ s.  


“With a big cake, and balloons,” Zacharie adds, giving Pablo light pets on the cat's head.  


“I... I think I'd like that,” Batter murmurs, and Eloha smiles at them. One by one, all of them return to the hard drive, humming along with the ending theme.

\------------


End file.
